The Best Replacements For Gochujang You May Already Have

Ssamjang, tteokboki, bibim guksu, and other traditional Asian recipes have a fiery kick that delights the taste buds. Their spiciness comes from gochujang, the Korean version of sriracha. With its thick texture and vibrant red color, this versatile ingredient is perfect for stews, marinades, barbecue meat, rice dishes, fried chicken, and soups. You can also drizzle it on meatballs, noodles, or chewy rice cakes for extra spiciness. 

Also known as Korean red pepper paste, gochujang is made with fermented soybeans, glutinous rice, chili pepper flakes, and salt. Some recipes also call for sugar or honey, barley, sweet potatoes, and other ingredients. The final product has varying levels of spiciness, ranging from mild to extremely hot. Its flavor can add depth and complexity to most dishes, making it a staple of Korean cooking.

"What makes gochujang different from sriracha or tabasco is that fermented, salty flavor, which you're not going to get with other hot sauces," chef Edward Lee said to ABC News in 2015. "It's like hot sauce-meets-umami flavor," he added. Even so, you can substitute gochujang for other spices if needed. This spicy-sweet paste can be tricky to find in local stores, so it's good to have some alternatives on hand.

Gochujang has a distinct flavor that no other ingredient can match. It's a blend of sweet, savory, and umami with a spicy kick. The closest substitute would be sriracha, but you'll notice differences in flavor and texture. While both sauces are made with chili peppers, sriracha is thinner and less spicy. Plus, it contains garlic, which gives it a slightly different flavor than that of gochujang.

However, sriracha can replace Korean red pepper paste in some recipes, especially those where gochujang isn't the primary ingredient. For example, you could use sriracha instead of gochujang in this dippable crab rangoon recipe. The main ingredients are imitation crab and cheese, so the recipe doesn't rely that much on gochujang. You may also use sriracha in dishes that call for garlic and gochujang, such as Korean air-fried cauliflower recipes.

Sriracha sauce is a good choice for those seeking a milder alternative to gochujang; the latter can be very spicy. Sriracha doesn't provide the same depth and complexity as gochujang, but it can still add heat and flavor to a dish. 

With its strong, spicy flavor, Tabasco can replace gochujang in soups, stews, and other cooked meals. But because it has a much thinner consistency, it won't work in every recipe. This hot sauce is made with distilled vinegar, red peppers, and salt, whereas gochujang gets its flavor from soybeans, sticky rice, and other ingredients. The latter is sweeter, with a more complex aroma.

But despite these differences, Tabasco and other hot sauces can be a perfect addition to kimchi fried rice, ramen, stir-fried anchovy banchan, or scallion pancakes. For example, you can use them as a substitute for gochujang to glaze Korean BBQ meatballs. Simply mix hot sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, and other ingredients in a large pan, bring to a boil, and then coat the meatballs with this sauce. If the mixture is too thin, add a bit of rice flour or cornstarch for thickness.

Apart from that, you could also substitute gochujang for chili bean paste, harissa, or a mixture of ketchup and hot chili powder. Alternatively, add a bit of sugar, water, and red pepper flakes to a jar of tomato paste, and then use it in your recipes. Chili paste will do the trick, too, but you'll need to add some sugar, soy sauce, and spices to recreate the umami flavor of gochujang.